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Light

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Jonghyun looks at the bright sky over his head, thinking about the girl that night. She seems strangely beautiful. Why did she standing there, inside a dark locked room? Wasn’t she scared? And who was she?

He sighs.

It has been a week, but she still lingers in his mind. He wants to find this girl so badly, but he doesn’t know where he should find her. With such minimum characteristic of her that he can remember, it is hard to do so. He had asked some of his friends about the girl he met that night, but everyone said that she was a ghost. Rumor has it that there is a ghost who looks for a friend to talk to and she would try to talk to a librarian who works alone at night. The problem is, if she is that ghost, she isn’t even trying to talk to him. She just said a sentence and went by. It’s frustating, because no one believes what he had seen that night. They only say that it is a ghost and don’t over think it, period.

He should ask someone who is quiet logical to think that it isn’t a ghost. Should he ask Aron? No, Aron is a no no. He will only scare him more, even though he himself is scared of ghosts. Oh, he remembers someone name beside Aron.

Minhyun.

He should ask Minhyun about this matter. He is never once scared of ghost and he even thinks that Minhyun doesn’t believe in ghost. He is the most reliable person for this matter. He listens and gives advice well. He hasn’t met him for days, so he never talks about the incident with him. Should he call him right now? He thinks he shouldn’t. It’s Sunday and Minhyun is on duty right now. Minhyun is working as part-timer in a convenience store near his dorm on Saturday and Sunday. He chooses to do his part-time work on weekend to avoid his classes and part-time work to clash with one another. Such a thoughtful planner he is. Maybe he could ask him later at night when he finishes his work.

He closes his eyes, feeling the wind blows softly over his hair. He feels like he wants to try flying with the wind like birds do and rolling over on the grass freely like cats do. Those thoughts always come when he comes to the park alone like this. Strange thoughts that even his small circle of friends don’t know about.

Talking about close friends, other than those two, there is still Dongho. He can talk to Dongho about this matter, but he isn’t sure if he is still mad at him or not. He had a fight with him earlier this month and he still hasn’t talked to him until now. Dongho has such a high pride, so he can barely see him apologize to someone. This friend sometime can be both handful and helpful. He does whatever he wants. If he wants something, then it has to go the way he wants it. No one can make him change his mind. Really, this person is so out of hand. Even he is like that, he is a really kind and honest person.

“Hey,” someone poke his cheek with a warm can. He turns his head and sees Dongho standing beside him with two cans of coffee. “What are you doing here alone?” Dongho asks out of the blue. Just before the thought of Dongho mad at him crossed his mind and now the person is here, offering him a can of warm coffee.

“I’m thinking about something.” Jonghyun answers as he takes the can into his hand. With that expression on Dongho’s face, he can pull the conclusion that Dongho isn’t mad at him anymore.

“Thinking about what?” he takes the free space on the bench beside him. “About the ghost-girl in the library?” Jonghyun chokes on his coffee, shocked by Dongho’s question.

“Ho-“ Jonghyun wipes the coffee that spilled all over his mouth. “How do you know?”

“Everyone has been talking about this. It is a hot topic, you know.”

“Really?” he does know that this has been a hot topic of the week, but he never expects Dongho, who seldom put his ears into other’s business, knows about this. So, this has been spreading like crazy.

“Even my hyungs know about this.”

“How …”

“Internet.”

“Ah …” Jonghyn nods, “Someone might share the story on the internet.”

“So, what are you doing here with two cans of coffee?” Jonghyun question has made Dongho changes his expression. He wants to say something, but he is still thinking, like someone who wants to create a lie. Despite the cold weather, he starts to sweat a lot. Jonghyun knows very well when Dongho is nervous and right now, he is. Jonghyun keeps his poker face, but deep down he wants to laugh really loud when looking at Dongho being nervous.

Dongho scratch his head, still hasn’t answer Jonghyun question.

“Ya!” Dongho starts to annoy Jonghyun.

“I-I just got back from practice. Kumdo, you know, Kumdo.” Jonghyun really wants to believe what Dongho just said. He is sure that today Dongho has Kumdo practice with his hyungs, but with him stuttering like that … he isn’t sure.

“To be honest,” Dongho says with calmer tone. “After I got back from practice, I was looking for you.” Jonghyun looks at him with questioning eyes. “I—”

“Dongho-ya.” Jonghyun cuts Dongho’s words, “You are not being you right now.”

“No, I’m still me.” Dongho starts to defend himself. “There is nothing wrong with me being like this.” Dongho gets up from the bench and grabs his bag, like he is going to go. “I’m going back to the dorm.”

“Eh?”

“See you.” Dongho waves his hand as he steps away from Jonghyun, but Jonghyun calls him right away.

“Hey, Kang Dongho.” Jonghyun shouts to Dongho who is getting a bit far from him. Dongho holds back his step and turns his back, reacting to Jonghyun’s call. “I am going to meet Minhyun tonight. Are you coming?” Jonghyun asks.

“Okay.” Dongho gives a thumb up at Jonghyun, “Let’s meet at the convenience store.” he then goes back to the dorm, leaving Jonghyun alone again at the park.

***

Yesterday, he was going to discuss his problem only with Minhyun, but ended up hanging out with the three of them; Minhyun, Dongho, and Aron. They were talking non-stop until very late, from talking about the ghost-girl in the library until the games that were really popular right now.

Jonghyun yawns as he walks in to the library’s lobby. He is so sleepy because of the lack of sleep last night. This is the result of not hanging out for a long time. Though it is not that long, their nature of being really talkative is a bit troublesome for them. They know this fact, but they can’t help it. They keep talking even though they know that the time is getting late or it is on public area. Jonghyun rubs his eyes to dry his sleepy eyes from the tears. While he is rubbing his eyes, he doesn’t see the way in front of him clearly which then brings him to bump on someone.

“Ya! Don’t you have eyes to see?!” the girl yells at Jonghyun. She is mad because Jonghyun suddenly pushes her.

“Sorry. I didn’t see you.” Jonghyun bows as she keeps on shouting at him. The man beside her tries to calm her down. Jonghyun keeps bowing while peeking to the people in front of him. The girl is accompanied by three other girls and a man. Jonghyun’s eyes land on the only man in front of him. He wears a white beanie, covering almost all of his hair. He has good facial features, no wonder that he gets along with many girls like this. But somehow, his face is really familiar to his eyes.

Suddenly, the man holds the girl’s hand to not to get anymore mad at Jonghyun.

“I’m sorry, but could I get inside?” Jonghyun asks when the man beside her successfully calms her down. The man nods and pulls the girls away from the locker room door. Jonghyun smile at him, really thankful for calming her down. Jonghyun gets inside as soon as the man and the girls are gone.

“Why did you mad at him like that?”

That voice.

Jonghyun goes out of the room to find the familiar voice, but the source of the voice is gone, vanishes in the crowd. He puts his hands on his face, frustrated that he couldn’t catch his chance to meet the person he looks for. Wait, was it that man voice? Could it be that the girl he met that night wasn’t really a girl, but a man?

He sighs.

“What’s happened, Jonghyun-ah?” asks someone as soon as he comes in to the locker room. “You look terrible.”

“Nothing.” Jonghyun slowly shakes his head.

“Did you see the ghost again?”

Jonghyun laughs. “No ….”

Did he?

“Listen to hyung, Jonghyun-ah.” he closes the locker door, then face Jonghyun who is beside him, “Don’t over think it or the ghost will haunt you forever.” Jonghyun nods. He has tried, but he fails many times, so he decides to find her … or him. “Just give it up. There is something that should be given up, you know?”

“Should … I?”

No.

“Yes.”

Jonghyun keeps silent for a while before he starts to ask him, “Hyung,” the man he calls answer him immediately with a hum. “Do you know the man in front of the door before?” he stops to think about the characteristic of the man, “The man with beautiful face. He seems really popular around girls.”

“Man with beautiful face?” he asks Jonghyun, making sure if his ears got the right words, “Oh! He is Choi Minki. People know him as Ren.”

“Ren?”

“He is a model, a really famous model. You don’t know?”

“I know … just now.” he giggles at his own joke. His friend smiles dryly at Jonghyun jokes, doesn’t know how to respond to Jonghyun’s joke.

***

When the sky turns black, the time turns to nine, and people go back home, he is here in the 6^th floor of library, tidying up the books that have been read by people. The room feels really quiet, only 2 to 4 people left and they are busy in their own world. In the afternoon when the most visitors are coming, it is really quiet and peaceful and at night, it is even quieter. Yes, it’s quiet until the three of his friends come.

“Jonghyunie~” Minhyun comes, breaking the tranquility of the room. People in the room are annoyed by Minhyun, because he has disturbed their concentration. Minhyun immediately apologizes for his impolite attitude.

“Stupid.” Dongho whispers almost laughing at Minhyun.

“Oh, you came.”

“Of course, we have promised you.” Minhyun says in a low voice, not wanting to disturb anymore people or he would get a beat out of them for breaking their concentration again.

“Sit there. I am going to put these books into their place first.”

“Okay.”

After last night conversation with them, the three of them decided to come to his workplace at night, even Aron who refuses to switch with him comes. They are worried about him and want to make sure he is fine. Before he thinks that they won’t come since it is already nine o’clock, but turns out they come.

***

Tired of waiting for Jonghyun finishing his duty and Dongho just ignores him with playing the candy game on his phone, Minhyun decides to look around for a book. Despite his handsome look, he is really a bookworm. No one could ever imagine how many books that he keeps in his room. Minhyun scans every book title in the bookshelves and taking every book that catches his interest. He brings back several books in his hand and put it in the table in front of Dongho. Oh, Aron hyung hasn’t come back yet from the toilet. It has been 20 minutes, but he still nowhere to be found here. Maybe he has stomachache.

Before, on the way back to Dongho, someone caught his eyes. His desk was full of papers, sketch papers to be exact. He seemed to be a Design student with those many sketch papers in front of him. Also, he looked so stylish plus his looks kind of like a celebrity. But, he doesn’t that interested in celebrity, so lucky him that he didn’t bother his concentration.

“Don’t you worry about Aron?” Minhyun asks Dongho who is still seriously playing with his phone.

“No. Why?” Dongho answers without looking at Minhyun.

“It has been more than 20 minutes after he went to toilet, but he hasn’t come back yet.”

“He is an adult. Maybe he has some business there.”

“What are you talking about, Dongho?” Aron comes as he pulls the chair beside Dongho.

“See. He is back now.” Dongho says to Minhyun. “He is worried about you.” he tells Aron that Minhyun has looked for him.

“Were you?”

Minhyun nods. “But you came. Then the problem is solved.”

“Oh … thank you, Minhyunie. I’m touch—”

Ssst

Jonghyun signaling them from a far not to be noisy, so they keep their mouth shut and do their own activity. Minhyun starts to read the book he took before, Dongho keeps playing the candy game and Aron chats with his friends on his phone. The three of them come only to see Jonghyun in his part-time work.

***

As he is talking with his friends, the time has turned to almost eleven. He should announce the time to the visitor, so no one will be left behind in the room. He tells Minhyun, Aron, and Dongho to wait for him in the lobby, so he can walk home together with them and buy some midnight snack on the way back to dorm. Minhyun helps Jonghyun with putting the books he has read in their bookshelf then follows Aron and Dongho to the lobby. Minhyun, once again, makes sure if Jonghyun is okay that they wait in lobby instead of waiting him here. After Jonghyun says okay, Minhyun goes down with Aron and Dongho.

Jonghyun is left alone.

He walks around the corner, checks every aisle, switches off the lamp one by one and makes sure no one is here. On the third corner he checks, he found someone tidying up his belongings; papers are scattered on his desk and his hand full of black marks because of the marker he uses to draw. Jonghyun waits for him to finish his business then turn off all of the lamps in the room. The person nods to Jonghyun, and then goes out of the room.

Jonghyun grabs his bag and checks the room again, when he hears the sound of elevator for the second time after the person went down. He squint his eyes to see who is coming back to this room. He expects it to be one of his friends, but it’s not.

“Ya, where are you?”

That voice.

Jonghyun runs, trying to reach the owner of the voice.

“What?”

“WA—“

A step before he reaches the man, he is tripped over his shoelaces. The third sound of elevator door feels like crying in his ears. He doesn’t know, but it sounds so loud right now. His hands and knees hurt, but his heart feels more pain than them. Just a little bit more, but still, he couldn’t catch him.

“Are you okay?”